ous of gross
tergiversation, of having ratted shamefully; for that merry party in
the afternoon, as they stood in the camp of Rockcliffe overlooking
Commonstone, had, one and all, vowed to foot it merrily in the
town-hall on Easter Monday, and agreed that for real lovers of dancing
a country ball beat a London one all to pieces.

"Well, mother," rejoined Jim, with one of his queer smiles, "on your
head be it if any harm comes to us; if you will allow your young braves
to go out on the war-path without their natural protectors, you must
not be surprised if some of them lose their scalps. Beauchamp, you are
a devotee of the goddess, I know. You will of course form one of 'the
lost children' who brave all the horde of excursionists for the honour
of Todborough."

"Thanks, no," replied Lionel. "I don't think I care about facing the
barbarians at play."

He was a good deal smitten with Blanche, and knew better than to run
counter to his enslaver's pronounced opinion.

"Then," exclaimed Jim, "like Curtius, I must leap into the gulf
single-handed. Stop! hang it, I will exercise my military prerogative;
yes, Braybrooke, I shall order you to accompany me, if it is only to
witness the sacrifice."

"Stay, Captain Bloxam," said Mrs. Sartoris, laughing. "Such devoted
gallantry deserves encouragement; I won't see you fall into the hands
of the Philistines without an effort at your preservation. You'll go,
Tom, won't you?" she continued, appealing to her husband, "if Lady Mary
can only find us transport."

"Yes, I am good to go, if you wish it," replied Sartoris.

"How I should like to shake the life out of that woman!" thought Lady
Mary, as she smilingly murmured that "if Mrs. Sartoris had the courage
to face the horrors of an Easter ball, there was, of course, the
carriage at her disposal."

"Bravo, Mrs. Sartoris!" cried Jim; "and now that you have given them a
lead, I have no doubt I shall pick up some more recruits, at all
events, young ladies," he continued, appealing to the Misses Evesham,
"it's a consolation to think that we have secured a chaperon, even if
our mothers remain obdurate on the point."

But Lady Mary was not going to suffer any further discussion concerning
the Commonstone ball, if she could possibly prevent it. What she
mentally termed the pig-headedness of her son already threatened to
upset the seclusion that she had marked out as most conducive to Lionel
Beauchamp's subjection. Taking advan